Page:Hatha yoga - or the yogi philosophy of physical well-being, with numberous excercises.djvu/98

98 have gone away from nature in contracting this trouble, we must aid nature somewhat in restoring lost conditions so that she may thereafter have a clean colon to work with. We will go to the animal kingdom for a suggestion. Many centuries ago the natives of India noticed that certain birds of the Ibis family—a long-billed bird—would return from journeys into the interior in a wretched condition, which was due either to their eating some berry which was very constipating, or else having been where there was no water to drink—possibly both. This bird would reach the rivers in an almost exhausted condition, scarcely able to fly from weakness. The bird would fill its bill and mouth with water from the river and then, inserting the bill into the rectum, would inject the water into the bowel, which would relieve it in a few moments. The bird would repeat this several times, until the bowel was completely emptied, and would then sit around and rest for a few minutes until its vitality was restored, when, after drinking freely from the river, it would fly away as strong and active as ever.

The chiefs and priests of the tribes noticing this occurrence, and its wonderful effect upon the birds, began to reason about the matter, and finally some one suggested that it might be tried to advantage upon some of the old men who, by reason of their non-activity and sedentary habits, had departed from nature's normal plan and had become constipated. So they managed to construct a primitive implement resembling a syringe from the reeds, with a sort of blow-pipe attachment, would inject warm river water into the bowels of the old men